Interesting

This link is just chock full of a lot of good information that I just didn't want to lose.

There's really no good reason why I'm putting it on my blog, but it has some pretty interesting resources...

http://www.studyplans.com/reading.htm

GoogleWhack - Who Knew?!

So, apparently something exists called "GoogleWhacking" (It's not as dirty as it sounds - I promise:) ), and it has been around for awhile - where have I been?!

Trina introduced it to us this morning, and even though I technically wasn't scheduled to be on the ref desk at that time, I couldn't help lurking around trying different word combinations to produce a successful GoogleWhack (hehe, ok I just like saying it at this point!).

Anyways, to GoogleWhack, you use two words (without boolean operators, quotation marks, etc.) and you try to retrieve only ONE result in a Google search. Checkout the webpage:
http://www.googlewhack.com/

Be sure to check out the GW rules, and The Whack Stack to see the funny combinations others have come up with: us staffers agreed that the best Whacks in the Stack are those that have definitions attached to the word combinations:)

I did a semi-successful GoogleWhack, but when we tried to register it, it wouldn't work :( The search terms were the following: callipygous koshka. Google retrieved one result, but according to the rules, the search terms were a no-go.

Check out the rules here (they're pretty funny!):
http://www.googlewhack.com/rules.htm


As an unintended result, the Callipygous Koshka search brought up a REALLY great website : a whole list of really fun words to say:) http://www.savefarscape.com/forums/printthread.php?t=24453&pp=40

Enjoy! :)

October Road on ABC

For the past two weeks, I have been completely addicted to October Road. Since NBC isn't airing new episodes of ER for the next couple of weeks, my Thursday evenings are now entirely devoted to the ABC primetime line-up of Ugly Betty, Grey's and October Road. I don't know what I'm going to do when ER comes back on again, and I have to make the big decision: ER vs. October Road - which one do I watch, and which one do I DVR?

I've been an ER fan for SO many years, it just seems wrong to me DVR ER, like almost sacrilegious! Anyways, I guess much of the decision will depend on whether or not October Road continues to be as good as it is.

I have to say that one of the big draws of October Road is the music. Check out the music info from the first two episodes at the link below, and seriously, how could you argue that this is not a great TV episode soundtrack?

http://abc.go.com/primetime/octoberroad/index?pn=music

If you're not watching October Road, or Ugly Betty OR Grey's for that matter, you should be! If even just for the mere fact that I said so, and since I'm the Princess, what I say goes :)

Healthcare & St. Pattie's Day Weekend

I just learned that my healthcare won't cover a doctor in PA, who I've been seeing since like 2002. Strangely, my healthcare covers providers in MD, DC, and VA, but not WV or PA. I think if the state touches your home state, you should get coverage in that neighboring state: it's as simple as that. I'm not asking for coverage in Idaho. I'm asking for coverage in a state that is less than a half an hour away from my home: VA is further than PA, so what's the logic behind that?

On a MUCH better note, I have the most fantastically wonderful and loving husband in the whole world. On Saturday, he picked me up after work, and I saw that he had packed my suitcase, my laptop & school books in the back of the truck. He even brought me a bottle of water, snack and my iPod. I was like "Uhhhh, what's going on? What are we doing? Where are the dogs?!" And then it happened. He blindfolded me. I'll admit that I tried to peek a few times at first, but then eventually I gave up (not one of my usual tendencies, I know) and started getting really excited (and impatient) for when our destination would be revealed.

We drove for a bit ( I definitely fell asleep). We stopped once by the side of the road (Brian had quite a bit of his Fizzonator by that point), and then we were there!! Brian left me in the car and as difficult as it was, I was quite proud of myself for not peeking. He came back out and I took off the blindfold, and he asked me if "I knew where I was". I had no clue. I saw a brick building across from where we were parked, a fountain in front of us, and when I turned around, I saw an adorable (yet equally beguiling) brick building. There were a bunch of flags on the building, and one of them was a MD flag, so I thought we might still be in MD (then I also saw the Canadian flag, so I discounted my original idea). We walked inside of the building and it was so beautiful and rustic! There was a fire burning in the fireplace to our right, and big comfy couches in front of the fire. To our left, there were more couches and a little restaurant. We started climbing the stairs, and climbed all the way up to the top of the building (4 floors). When we reached the 4th floor, we saw a little sitting area with an antique desk and wicker furniture, and the door to our room, which was the attic! It was so pretty and cozy! There were armchairs and lamps in the little sitting area. The wallpaper had flowers on it, and the ceilings were slanted like typical attic ceilings. I couldn't believe how short the closet was: it was truly a historic building. Oh I was also excited by the marble nightstand and coffee table: my mom has one from her Grandmother's house, and it just made me feel an extra connection with this place and this room.

It turns out we were staying at The Country Inn at Berkeley Springs http://thecountryinnatberkeleysprings.com/. You can see a little picture of our room too if you hunt around - it was room 41. As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with the place.

We went to dinner that night at Panorama at the Peak http://www.panoramaatthepeak.com/index.html. We got to the restaurant a little bit before sunset, and the view was beautiful. The little town of Cacapon was in a valley below the mountains and it was all lit up. It was so humbling to be in the presence of all of God's majesty. The food and service was delicious, and we could see the beautiful mountains from our table. We were seated next to a tall statue of two cranes, though the server explained to us they could just as easily be "storks". I ignored whatever it was she was implying:)

The next day, Brian surprised me with a spa day. Berkeley Springs is best known for the natural mineral water that comes from the springs. We had a mineral bath, and then each had body scrubs, massages and facials. I was a little sketched out by being massaged by a strange guy, but I think that speaks volumes about my devotion to my husband, and to our marriage. Whether it's emotionally or physically, he's the only guy I want touching me. Brian said he wasn't a big fan of the facial, but he's ready to go back for a longer weekend, and get a massage each day. Me? I want a plethora of manicures, pedicures, hot stone massages, and mineral baths.

I read some reviews of The Country Inn after we got home on Sunday, and I was disappointed to hear that some people thought the place was run-down. Brian and I think they could definitely make some improvements (i.e. carpet), but the charm and beauty of the Inn is that it is rustic and quaint and historical. All I know is that it is the combination of the pure simplicity of the setting and the amazingly sensitive surprise of the trip from my husband, that has me convinced that this place rivals Disney World as being the most magical place on earth. I know I will never forget that weekend for as long as I live. Now if only the Inn had a bigger gift shop...

More fun:)

Here is something else that I found funny, especially considering some of the characters we see at the ref desk at the library:

http://pag.csail.mit.edu/~adonovan/dilbert/show.php?day=18&month=02&year=2007

My First Post!

I don't really have anything to say right now, but I wanted to collocate (library school word) some funny things I've seen over the past year, so I don't forget about them. So here they are in no particular order:

If you buy, eat, love / hate Hot Pockets, trust me - this is worth a look:
http://danwho.net/mp/index.php?id=gaffigan_hotpocket

Cute pandas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtLzvOsQ80k

Wanda Sykes (who I LOVE):

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=41959

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=12205

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=41958

More to come if I ever survive the rest of this semester...